International Center for Law and Religion Studies

The 2009 Symposium brought together in Provo, Utah, more than 80 scholars, judges, and government and religious leaders from 44 countries to discuss challenges and successes in implementing principles of freedom of religion or belief worldwide. The Symposium convened Sunday evening, 4 October 2009, at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, where delegates and other participants in the Moot Court Room as well as those accessing the live stream of the session available through this website, were pleased to witness the bestowal of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies' Distinguished Service Award for Religious Freedom upon Senior Judge J. Clifford Wallace, Chief Judge Emeritus of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Keynote addresses were delivered by Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, and The Honourable Pius Nkonzo Langa, Chief Justice of the South Africa Constitutional Court. After two days of memorable presentations by the visiting delegates, concluding remarks at the closing session on Tuesday, 6 October, were delivered by Michael K. Young, President of the University of Utah, and ICLRS Director W. Cole Durham, Jr.

The Sixteenth Annual International Law and Religion Symposium of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies convened at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School in Provo, Utah, on Sunday evening, 4 October 2009, at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, where delegates and other participants in the Moot Court Room as well as those accessing the live stream of the session available through this website, were pleased to witness the bestowal of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies' Distinguished Service Award for Religious Freedom upon Senior Judge J. Clifford Wallace, Chief Judge Emeritus of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Keynote addresses were delivered by Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, and The Honourable Pius Nkonzo Langa, Chief Justice of the South Africa Constitutional Court. ... more

The Center was pleased to receive and hear from the 2009  distinguished experts, whose contributions created a truly exceptional Sixteenth Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. We extend our deepest appreciation to the more than 80 esteemed scholars, judges, legal experts, and government and religious leaders from more than 44 countries who were willing to travel to Utah to be with us, and who now join a prestigious group of more than 800 past Symposium participants in our continuing dialogue about matters most urgent to freedom of religion and belief worldwide. The Center also expresses gratitude to this year's Student Executive Committee and many other students of Brigham Young University who provided invaluable help in organization, transportation, and translation. And we thank our colleagues at the Law School, the Law School's excellent technical staff, and our many friends, some of whom traveled long distances to be with us during the Symposium to act as hosts for the delegates and in many other ways to provide invaluable assistance to the success of this year's conference.

The International Center for Law and Religion Studies was pleased to honor Senior Judge J. Clifford Wallace of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit with the 2009 Distinguished Service Award for Religious Freedom, presented Sunday, October 4, during the opening session of the 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium. "Judge Wallace has contributed to the growth of strong judiciaries in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia," notes ICLRS Director, Professor W. Cole Durham, Jr. "He has been a remarkable judge, a remarkable friend of democracy and democratization, and a great friend of human liberty. And this is part of a much broader pattern in his life. We are grateful that we have been able to work for so many years with such a devoted friend and supporter of the Center."... more

Deseret News columnist Lee Benson visited BYU Campus during the 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium and spoke to ICLRS Director Cole Durham and to several delegates, including the delegate from Egypt, Dr. Tayseir M. Mandour, Professor of Medicine at Al-Azhar University and member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (photo at right with Dr. John Taylor and ICLRS Managing Director Robert Smith), and Ismail Ibrahim Malik, Chairman of the National Handicap and Vocational Government Services Program, Zambia. "If we can have peace... more

The Keynote speakers at the opening session of 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium, 4 October 2009, have devoted their careers to the cause of human rights. Anastasia Crickley, Chair of the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, is Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies at National University of Ireland Maynooth, which plays a leading role in education and training for social justice and rights work. The Honourable Mr Justice Pius Nkonzo Langa has just concluded his term as Chief Justice of the South Africa Constitutional Court.
     Professor Crickley opened her remarks with a tribute to... more

Participants Listed Alphabetically by Country Name (in English)
Please click delegate name below to view biographical information.
Click here for a photo directory of all delegates.

Albania
* Rasim Hasanaj, Chairman, State Committee on Cults of the Republic of Albania 
* Brikena Kasmi, Head, Legal Drafting Sector, General Department of Codification, Ministry of Justice

Argentina
* Andrea De Vita, Directora General del Registro Nacional de Cultos, Secretaría de Culto 
* ... more

The Center is grateful to the many volunteers who joined us during the 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium to serve as hosts, helping to make the delegates' stay in Utah more comfortable. In very large measure, the success of the Symposium depends upon these people. The reward? As one of this year's hosts summed it: "It was a life-changing experience." As we thank the hosts, the hosts in return express gratitude for enlightening presentations, stimulating conversations, and warm... more

Each year in preparing for and carrying out the International Law and Religion Symposium, the Center relies upon a great number of student volunteers, most of them from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. This year approximately 100 students, supervised by ICLRS Director of Publications Christine Scott and organized under a student Executive Committee, have assumed responsibility for coordinating such aspects of the Symposium as transportation, informal translation, and other organizational logistics. The Center recognizes and thanks this year's student volunteers and gives... more

The Center was pleased to hear during the closing plenary session of the 16th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium in Provo on 6 October 2009 remarks by Michael K. Young, President of the University of Utah.  President Young is a graduate of Harvard Law School and was clerk to Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist. Before coming to the University of Utah, he was Dean of the George Washington Law School, Director of Columbia University’s Japanese Legal Studies Center, and U.S. Ambassador for Trade and Environmental Affairs. Among many other... more